Islanders have best goalie in the Metro, even after Hellebuyck trade

The New York Islanders have the Metro Division’s best goaltender, even if the New Jersey Devils landed Connor Hellebuyck last weekend.

Sure, the Devils got themselves a three-time Vezina Trophy winner. But could anyone argue that Hellebuyck is significantly better than Ilya Sorokin?

A look at the numbers offers one clue. Since Hellebuyck hasn’t played this season, let’s look at last year’s totals. Hellebuyck had a down year last season by his standards. He played in 57 games, sporting a 2.86 GAA and an .895 SV%, That’s one heck of a season, but there’ one number that stands out: Hellebuyck registered at 5.54 goals saved above expected. That number was down for a mind-shocking 39.59 from the year before.

It seems like a coincidence that in a season in which Hellebuyck won the Vezina and Hart Trophies in the same season, the Winnipeg Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy. The next season, Hellebuyck came back down to Earth, and the Jets missed the playoffs.

Now, let’s look at what Sorokin did last season. The Islanders’ franchise goalie played in 55 games, racking up a 2.68 GAA and a .906 SV%. That came with 25.30 goals saved above expected and a Vezina Trophy nomination.

Sorokin put up those numbers behind an Islanders team that was mostly inconsistent during the final year of Patrick Roy.

This year, Sorokin’s numbers look even better. He’s got a 2.26 SV% and a .919 SV% in eight games under the Peter DeBoer regime.

Hellebuyck is going to have to top those numbers in order to prove that he’s objectively better than Ilya Sorokin.

Sorokin gives Islanders mental boost that Hellebuyck hopes to deliver to Devils

There’s something to be said about the mental boost that comes from knowing that you’ve got an all-world goalie playing behind you.

That’s what the Islanders have in Sorokin, and what the Devils hope to get with Hellebuyck.

But let’s face it. An all-world goalie can only paper over a bad defensive team to a certain extent.

The New York Rangers are proof of that. They’ve had Igor Shesterkin for the last two seasons and failed miserably to make the playoffs. Now that Shesterkin is done for the season, the Rangers have started regressing back to the mean.

That shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who understands how hockey works.

That said, the Devils have plenty of issues of their own. They’ve been inconsistent this season, to say the least. That’s why GM Sunny Mehta had to eat his hat and trade for Hellebuyck.

The Islanders were fortunate to have Sorokin in the organization. That situation precluded the need to make a massive goalie trade. And now that Semyon Varlamov looks to have defied gravity, it looks like the Isles have one of the NHL’s most enviable goaltending situations.

All told, it will be tough for Hellebuyck to prove he’s better than Sorokin. He’ll have to go on a mind-boggling run and single-handedly pull the Devils into the playoffs this season. That’s a tall order, and plenty of ground to make up in the Metro Division.

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